She was an exchange student killed in the Texas school shooting. Her relatives are furious.

The uncle of a Pakistani exchange student killed in the Santa Fe High School shooting has a message for America in a video from BBC: “Stop this bullshit. Make your schools safe — not for the sake of my kid or my niece, for the sake of your own kid. What are you doing with your society? We sent her to be educated, not to come back like this.”

Sabika Sheikh, 17, was among the eight students and two teachers killed in the Texas school shooting. She was part of a program that’s meant to help foster understanding between the US and Muslim countries.

According to the BBC, she was expected to go back to Pakistan within a few weeks. Instead, Sheikh’s body was flown to Pakistan on Wednesday, where hundreds attended her funeral.

The uncle’s message shows how baffling America’s gun violence problem is to much of the world. The expectation for a highly developed country like the US is that it will have very low rates of gun violence. And while America does have lower violent crime rates than less developed nations, its rates of lethal gun violence are much higher than those of its developed peers.

Police say a female student wounded in a suburban Indianapolis school shooting is in critical condition and the teacher who also was wounded is in good condition.

Noblesville police Lt. Bruce Barnes said in a news release Friday night the girl was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital. She has not been identified.

Barnes identified the teacher as 29-year-old Jason Seaman of Noblesville. He also is hospitalized in Indianapolis.

Barnes says "there were no apparent injuries to the alleged shooter." He has not been identified.

The shooting occurred Friday morning at Noblesville West Middle School.

———

6:45 p.m.

A student who was in an Indiana middle school classroom when a classmate opened fire says the science teacher launched a basketball at the gunman as part of his effort to limit the damage.

Thirteen-year-old Ethan Stonebraker told ABC News that teacher Jason Seaman ran at the shooter "with his arms in front of him, and then he just tackled him against the wall." He swatted the gun out of the shooter's hand.

Seaman's brother said the teacher was a defensive end for Southern Illinois University's football team and has never been a person to run away.

Stonebraker called Seaman "very brave" and a "hero." He said he and other classmates crouched for cover behind a table.

Stonebraker said he also knows the gunman, who he called "a nice kid most of the times." He said he often makes jokes with his classmates and "it's just a shock that he would do something like that."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — For more than a year, Florida failed to do national background checks that could have disqualified people from gaining a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

The lapse, revealed in an internal report that was not widely known about until Friday, occurred during a time period when there was a significant surge in the number of people seeking permission to legally carry a concealed weapon. Florida does not allow the open carry of weapons, but more than 1.9 million have permits to carry guns and weapons in public if they are concealed.

The state ultimately revoked 291 permits and fired an employee blamed for the lapse after an inspector general's report detailing the problem was sent in June 2017 to top officials in the department who oversee the program. The Tampa Bay Times was the first to publish information about the report, which pointed out that the state failed to check the National Instant Criminal Background Check System from February 2016 to March 2017.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, a Republican running for governor who has touted his efforts to make it easier for people to obtain concealed-weapons permits, said the state did conduct its own criminal background checks on those applying for permits during that time period.

Putnam blamed the problem on the negligence of a department employee.

"The former employee was both deceitful and negligent, and we immediately launched an investigation and implemented safeguards to ensure this never happens again," Putnam said in a statement.

McKinley Lewis, a spokesman for Republican Gov. Rick Scott, said the governor's office was never provided a copy of the inspector general's report.

Democrats and gun control advocates quickly criticized Putnam over the incident and said he should resign. Putnam has raised the ire of gun control advocates for his proclamation last year that he was a "proud NRA sellout" who supports the National Rifle Association. He also said that he would not have signed the new gun and school safety law enacted by the Florida Legislature in the aftermath of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

"Career politicians like Mr. Putnam think this is just another bad day at the office — but when you conceal a level of negligence that endangers every resident, and every child, in Florida, you forfeit any moral right to lead," said former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, one of the Democratic candidates running for governor.

The state used the national system to see if there were reasons such as mental illness or drug addictions that should prevent someone from being issued a concealed-weapons permit. But in March 2017 an investigation was triggered after a state employee noted that the state was not getting any correspondence from people whose applications had been rejected due to information gleaned from the national database.

The final report issued in June 2017 states that an employee in the Division of Licensing did not run applications through the national system because she couldn't log into the database. The employee is quoted in the report as saying that she "dropped the ball."

The Times interviewed the employee, Lisa Wilde, who told them she was working in the mailroom when she was given oversight of the database in 2013.

"I didn't understand why I was put in charge of it," Wilde told the newspaper.

Statistics compiled by the department show that from the summer of 2015 to the summer of 2017, the number of new applications for concealed-weapon permits jumped dramatically, to its highest level in 25 years.

Well, I'll tell ya. While I've never been a member myself .... I've known a lot of NRA members over the years and I can assure you they will dig deep if necessary to keep the NRA afloat. The NRA is going to be around a long, long, time to come.

But hey, even if they were actually to "go bankrupt" ... I'm sure some Russian oligarch would come around to bail 'em out!

Ah ... edit ... just remembered. I have been an NRA member! I got signed up when I took an NRA Hunter Safety class in, I think it was, 6th Grade. Took the classes in a public school during school hours no less. One hour each afternoon for four days as I recall (during school hours), and then they bused us to the range on Friday (during school hours) to shoot our targets. They even let us bring our own .22's to school if we had one (which I did) As a matter of fact, I was digging through some old boxes a year or so ago and actually found my certificate and target my Mom saved for me. They should still do that if you ask me.

With opinion polls showing U.S. public support for more gun control growing in the wake of mass shootings in recent years, the NRA is facing internal pressure from this little-known force that is demanding that the leadership concede zero ground to gun-control advocates.

Yet the REAL gun crime issue still takes place in KNOWN locations (large inner cities) by KNOWN demographics that are largely already prohibited to possess guns. Why do leftists ignore that? Where's that fix?

PkrBum wrote:Yet the REAL gun crime issue still takes place in KNOWN locations (large inner cities) by KNOWN demographics that are largely already prohibited to possess guns. Why do leftists ignore that? Where's that fix?

PkrBum wrote:Yet the REAL gun crime issue still takes place in KNOWN locations (large inner cities) by KNOWN demographics that are largely already prohibited to possess guns. Why do leftists ignore that? Where's that fix?

PkrBum wrote:Yet the REAL gun crime issue still takes place in KNOWN locations (large inner cities) by KNOWN demographics that are largely already prohibited to possess guns. Why do leftists ignore that? Where's that fix?

Why do tighty righties ignore the fact that guns can be purchased across state lines where there is less regulation?

Ummm... isn't that illegal too?

Indiana guns: Favorite of Chicago gangbangers

In six years, 3,824 guns taken off Chicago gang bangers that were used in crimes came from our next door neighbor: Indiana. It’s why WGN Investigates took undercover cameras over the border to see why.

Our producer and photographer walked in to an Indianapolis gun show one recent Saturday afternoon wearing undercover camera gear. They listened as one gun dealer showed them a semi-automatic with a 30 round magazine.

For a $5 dollar entry fee, you can buy all sorts of stuff at the gun show – bullets, handbags with hidden pockets, and of course, guns. The law for buying a gun is different for those who live in Indiana than those who live in Illinois.

It’s so easy here, the dealers joked with our producer and photographer about it. One bragging, “We deal with Illinois residents all the time and we invite them to come to Indiana.”

Another dealer said, “As long as you’re an Indiana resident and you don’t have any trouble, I just write down your name and address so if they come knocking on my door, and say this gun was used in a robbery, well this is who I sold it to and then you got to explain what you did.”

But it’s easy to scam. Like one now infamous guy who simply used a fake Indiana drivers license. David “Big Man” Lewisbey filled a duffle bag with 9 millimeter and 40-caliber handguns. He bought them at various gun shows then sold them to gang bangers in Chicago for big bucks.

Tom Ahern, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says, not only it is easier to buy in Indiana than Illinois, it’s cheaper too. He says the combination has meant a steady flow of guns to Chicago that are involved in crime.

What Lewisbey didn’t know at the time was the feds were watching him. Said Ahern of the ATF, “There’s a large number of individuals at gun show that are selling their personal collections and they’re not holding the buyers to any kind of criminal background check or any paperwork of those transactions.”

That’s the missing link - as Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy put it, the gun show loophole. He says a big reason why more than 3,000 confiscated guns from crimes have come from Indiana. McCarthy says of the loophole, you have a federal firearms licensee, a dealer, who does a quick background check at one table. Right next to him at another table is a private collector who is not, by law, forced to check a buyer’s background.

That makes it awfully tough to trace when a gun is used in a crime. And that’s why this case against Lewisbey and his partners is so important.

Back in 2007, Lewisbey was a Thornton Township High School football lineman who made his way to college. Like many students, he kept a “to do” list that included, the first day of school.

But the rest of the list is like none other. Mid-way through on his things “to do” list is “Get guns back up.” Think about that for a moment – a college student who keeps a summer “to do” list that includes buying guns for gang bangers.

Ahern says it’s clear the word is on the street that if you want a gun, cash and carry, go to Indiana, bring it to Illinois and use it or sell it for a good profit.

In one 48 hour period, Lewisbey delivered 43 guns to a guy with ties to the Gangster Disciples - many purchased at gun shows.

WGN’s Mark Suppelsa asked the Indianapolis gun show owner if he ever sees a buyer fill up a duffle bag, even though it’s perfectly legal. The man said, most of the criminals know not to come to his gun show because he allows law enforcement to come inside for free to deter crime.

Whether this promoter is just naive or in denial, it is happening. Perhaps, he’s been more fortunate than most.

But that still doesn’t impress Chicago’s top cop. Since guns continue to flow across the border he’s had to switch tactics. He’s now working harder to partner with the feds to catch guns moving state to state. When we asked if it’s working, McCarthy said we’re up against it like a screen door on a submarine.

In May, Lewsiby was sentenced to 16 years and 6 months in prison for a gun running smuggling operation. His partner got nearly 11 ½ years.

PkrBum wrote:Yet the REAL gun crime issue still takes place in KNOWN locations (large inner cities) by KNOWN demographics that are largely already prohibited to possess guns. Why do leftists ignore that? Where's that fix?

Why do tighty righties ignore the fact that guns can be purchased across state lines where there is less regulation?

Ummm... isn't that illegal too?

Indiana guns: Favorite of Chicago gangbangers

In six years, 3,824 guns taken off Chicago gang bangers that were used in crimes came from our next door neighbor: Indiana. It’s why WGN Investigates took undercover cameras over the border to see why.

Our producer and photographer walked in to an Indianapolis gun show one recent Saturday afternoon wearing undercover camera gear. They listened as one gun dealer showed them a semi-automatic with a 30 round magazine.

For a $5 dollar entry fee, you can buy all sorts of stuff at the gun show – bullets, handbags with hidden pockets, and of course, guns. The law for buying a gun is different for those who live in Indiana than those who live in Illinois.

It’s so easy here, the dealers joked with our producer and photographer about it. One bragging, “We deal with Illinois residents all the time and we invite them to come to Indiana.”

Another dealer said, “As long as you’re an Indiana resident and you don’t have any trouble, I just write down your name and address so if they come knocking on my door, and say this gun was used in a robbery, well this is who I sold it to and then you got to explain what you did.”

But it’s easy to scam. Like one now infamous guy who simply used a fake Indiana drivers license. David “Big Man” Lewisbey filled a duffle bag with 9 millimeter and 40-caliber handguns. He bought them at various gun shows then sold them to gang bangers in Chicago for big bucks.

Tom Ahern, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says, not only it is easier to buy in Indiana than Illinois, it’s cheaper too. He says the combination has meant a steady flow of guns to Chicago that are involved in crime.

What Lewisbey didn’t know at the time was the feds were watching him. Said Ahern of the ATF, “There’s a large number of individuals at gun show that are selling their personal collections and they’re not holding the buyers to any kind of criminal background check or any paperwork of those transactions.”

That’s the missing link - as Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy put it, the gun show loophole. He says a big reason why more than 3,000 confiscated guns from crimes have come from Indiana. McCarthy says of the loophole, you have a federal firearms licensee, a dealer, who does a quick background check at one table. Right next to him at another table is a private collector who is not, by law, forced to check a buyer’s background.

That makes it awfully tough to trace when a gun is used in a crime. And that’s why this case against Lewisbey and his partners is so important.

Back in 2007, Lewisbey was a Thornton Township High School football lineman who made his way to college. Like many students, he kept a “to do” list that included, the first day of school.

But the rest of the list is like none other. Mid-way through on his things “to do” list is “Get guns back up.” Think about that for a moment – a college student who keeps a summer “to do” list that includes buying guns for gang bangers.

Ahern says it’s clear the word is on the street that if you want a gun, cash and carry, go to Indiana, bring it to Illinois and use it or sell it for a good profit.

In one 48 hour period, Lewisbey delivered 43 guns to a guy with ties to the Gangster Disciples - many purchased at gun shows.

WGN’s Mark Suppelsa asked the Indianapolis gun show owner if he ever sees a buyer fill up a duffle bag, even though it’s perfectly legal. The man said, most of the criminals know not to come to his gun show because he allows law enforcement to come inside for free to deter crime.

Whether this promoter is just naive or in denial, it is happening. Perhaps, he’s been more fortunate than most.

But that still doesn’t impress Chicago’s top cop. Since guns continue to flow across the border he’s had to switch tactics. He’s now working harder to partner with the feds to catch guns moving state to state. When we asked if it’s working, McCarthy said we’re up against it like a screen door on a submarine.

In May, Lewsiby was sentenced to 16 years and 6 months in prison for a gun running smuggling operation. His partner got nearly 11 ½ years.

Private-party purchases at gun shows are not the norm... that's just a red herring to cloud the real issue. That purchase would still be illegal on many fronts. First it would be fraudulent intent... transporting it to Illinois would also be a crime... and selling it to a felon is a crime. So back to the real issue.